Adjustable blade and carrying means

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an attachment for the rear of a drilling truck which may be used to level the drill site and carry apparatus and equipment to and from the drill site.

United States Patent Knight 1451 Aug. 19, 1975 ADJUSTABLE BLADE ANDCARRYING [56] References Cited MEANS UNITED STATES PATENTS [76]Inventor: Albert E. Knight, PO. Box 1774, 1,473,890 11/1923 Toy et a1.37/1175 UX 11301 Willow Dr Fort St John 2,529,208 11/1950 Andersen37/1175 British Columbia, Canada 2,710,464 6/1955 Husting 37/42 R3,252,716 5/1966 Gaterman 37/42 R [22] Filed: Nov. 26, 1973 1 PP 419,096Primary ExaminerStephen C. Pellegrino Attorney, Agent, or F irmCushman,Darby and [30] Foreign Application Priority Data cushman Nov. 27, 1972Canada 157530 152 U.S. c1 172/238; 172/254; 37/42 R [57] ABSTRACT [51]Int. Cl AOlb 65/00 [58] Field of Search 172/801, 803, 245, 247, relatesto atmhmem the rear P 172/251 276 438 501 767 a drilling truck WhlCllmay be used to level the ClI'lll R site and carry apparatus andequipment to and from the drill site.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEB AUGI 9 I975 SHEET 1 [IF 2 FIG.

PAT ENTEU AUG 1 9 I975 sum 2 m 2 FIG.2

ADJUSTABLE BLADE AND CARRYING lVIEANS This invention relates to alevelling attachment for the rear of a truck having a drill thereonwhereby the truck may be used to level drill sites and to carry extraequipment to and from drill sites. More particularly the inventionrelates to a substructure, blade supports, blade, and blade controlmeans for use with a truck with drilling equipment thereon.

In oil well drilling it is preferable to have a shallow surface holecompleted before an oil drilling rig is moved onto the drill site. Thefirst thirty feet of ground is usually not well consolidated and it isdesirable to drill a hole through this ground and to set a surfacecasing in this hole to prevent erosion of the ground by drilling mudcirculated at high pressure during drilling operations with aconventional drilling rig. A truck with drilling equipment thereon isused to drill these surface holes. In drilling these holes drillingchips are brought to the surface and pushed to either side. Howeverbefore an oil rig can be moved into drilling position it is necessary tolevel the site around the surface hole.

In order to level the drilling site after the surface hole has beencompleted it has been the practice to bring a tractor into the drillsite where possible or in the alternative to bring in wheel barrows onthe drilling truck. It is time consuming and difficult to remove drillchips by wheel barrow and to leave a level site. It is costly to move ina tractor simply to perform the removing of chips and levelling of thedrill site when it is recalled that drill sites are often in generallyuninhabited areas.

In order to overcome the above-noted difficulties the applicant hasmodified a drill truck having a drill thereon to provide a clearing andlevelling capacity and as well to provide a greater transportingcapacity for the truck.

In the drawings which form part of this specification like numbersrepresent the same element in the various figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear of a tandem truck with a drillthereon showing the attachment in its carrying capacity.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the substructure added to the truck.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the truck frame, substructure andblade support.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blade of the attachment.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the blade.

Referring to FIG. 1 the truck 1 has a drill 2 thereon and an attachment3 for clearing, levelling and transporting attached to the truck 1. Theattachment 3 is comprised of a substructure 4, blade support 5, blade 6and blade controls 7.

Referring to FIG. 2 there is shown a substructure 4 for attachment 3.The substructure 4 is composed of a horizontal top frame member 8 havingfive depending vertical frame members 9, 10, ll, 12 and 13. The fivedepending vertical frame members 9, l0, 11, 12 and 13 are spaced andsupported at the bottom by blade 14. The top frame member 8 and verticalframe members 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are formed of3 inch by 5 inch tubingof one-fourth inch thickness. Vertical frame members 10 and 12 havewelded thereto blade support 5. Blade support 5 is comprised of bladehangers 15, 16, one-half inch plate welded to each side of the lowerportions of vertical frame members 10 and 12. Vertical frame members 9,I0, 11, 12 and 13 are sheeted with three-sixteenths inch checker plate17.

As seen in FIG. 3 truck 1 has a truck frame 18. Top frame member 8 andthe upper portions of vertical frame members 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 arewelded to truck frame 18. A supporting strut 19 made of a one inch flatplate is welded between truck frame 18 and the lower portion of verticalframe members 9, 10, l 1, l2 and 13 and acts as a structural support.Blade hangers 15, 16 include apertures 20.

As seen in FIG. 4 the blade 6 is comprised of a central straight portion21 and the inclined end portion 22 and 23. The central straight portion21 is 66 inches in length and the inclined end portions 22 and 23 areeach 17 inches in length. The overall length of the blade from end toend is 96 inches. The blade 6 is constructed of one-half inch rolledsteel or blade material with 1 inch supporting steel to reinforce theblade. Approximate each end of the straight portion 21 of blade 6 andfastened to the blade are blade supports 24, 25. The blade supports 24,25 are made from 3 by 5 inch tubing welding to the back of the blade 6and blade reinforcements. As seen in FIG. 5 the blade supports 24, 25have elongated apertures 26, 27 adapted to receive bolts 28 and 29. Theblade 6 is mounted on blade hangers 5 so that elongated apertures 26, 27are aligned with apertures 20 in blade hangers 15, 16 and bolts 28, 29are inserted through the aligned apertures 20 in respective bladehangers 15 and 16 and blade supports 24, 25 to retain the blade 6 onblade support 5.

Blade controls 7 are seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 theinclined end portions 22 and 23 of blade 6 each have flanges 30 and 31welded thereto. As seen in FIG. 5 the flanges 30 and 31 are above thelower edge of blade 6 and have flat portions 32 and 33 at the bottom.Welded to the truck frame 18 are hydraulic jacks 34, 35 each having ashoe 36, 37 engaging flanges 30 and 31 respectively for raising andlowering the blade 6. As seen in FIG. 1 the blade 6 has centrallylocated on its front surface a retaining means 38 adapted to receive achain 39 fastened from substructure 4 to retaining means 38. When theblade 6 is not.

in use the blade 6 is pivoted about the bolts 28, 29 until the blade 6is in horizontal position. The chain 39 is then fastened to retainingmeans 38 to retain the blade in horizontal position during travel, whenblade 6 is not in use. The blade is used during travel as a storage unitfor augers or like heavy equipment which must be transported to thedrill site.

At the drill site the equipment stored on the blades is removed, theblade 6 is lifted slightly, the chain 39 is removed from retaining means38 and the blade 6 is lowered.

The drilling is then commenced and when the drilling chips have built uparound the hole the auger is removed, the blade height adjusted and thedrill chips are pushed across the drill site out of the way. The bladeheight is adjusted during this operation so that the drill site remainslevel. The drill site has been levelled by large earth moving equipmentto receive a conventional oil drilling rig before the truck and drillcome onto the drill site. The drill site should be just as level afterthe truck and drill have drilled the surface hole and drill chipslevelled as the drill site was before the surface hole was drilled.After the surface hole has been completed and the drill site levelled,the blade 6 is raised to the horizontal and retaining means 38 arefastened by chains 39 to substructure 4.

Changes in the substructure, blade support, blade and blade controls maybe made without departing from the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. An attachment for the rear of the frame of a drilling truck forlevelling drilling chips, comprising:

a substructure to be mounted on the truck frame;

a plurality of blade hangers fixedly attached to the substructure;

vertically adjustable blade control means, to be mounted on the truckframe;

a blade;

a plurality of blade supports fixedly attached to the blade;

means securing the respective blade supports to the respective bladehangers with provision for vertical movement of the blade with respectto the substructure and for pivotal movement of the blade between avertical disposition in which the blade faces rearwardly for use andhorizontal disposition for storage;

a blade elevation control support positioned to be engaged with theblade control means when the blade is vertically disposed so that whenthe blade control means is vertically adjusted when engaged with theblade elevational control support, the blade is correspondingly raisedor lowered;

a blade retaining means secured on the blade;

and a blade retainer connectable the blade to retain the blade in thehorizontal disposition thereof with respect to the substructure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the blade supports are disposed on the blade so as to be on the rearthereof when the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facingdisposition;

the respective blade supports and blade hangers further including meansdefining respective aligned apertures; and

the securing means being inserted through the respective alignedapertures of the blade supports and blade hangers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the apertures of the blade hangersare circular and those of the blade supports are vertically elongated.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein:

the blade control means comprises a hydraulic cylinder secured to thesubstructure and an extensibleretractable shoe having surface means forengaging and supporting said elevational control support.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the retaining means is provided on the blade so as to be on the facethereof when the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facingdisposition, and

retaining means provided on the substructure, the retainer beingconnected between the retaining means on the blade and the retainingmeans on the substructure for retaining the blade in said horizontaldisposition thereof.

6. A drilling truck having an attachment on the rear of the framethereof for levelling drilling chips, comprising:

a drilling truck having a frame;

a substructure, mounted on the truck frame;

a plurality of blade hangers fixedly attached to the substructure;

vertically adjustable blade control means, mounted on the truck frame;

a blade;

a plurality of blade supports fixedly attached to the blade;

means securing the respective blade supports to the respective bladehangers with provision for vertical movement of the blade with respectto the substructure and for pivotal movement of the blade between avertical disposition in which the blade faces rearwardly for use andhorizontal disposition for storage; blade elevational control supportpositioned to be engaged with the blade control means when the blade isvertically disposed so that when the blade control means is verticallyadjusted when engaged with the blade elevational control support, theblade is correspondingly raised or lowered; blade retaining meanssecured on the blade; and blade retainer connectable the blade to retainthe blade in the horizontal disposition thereof with respect to thesubstructure.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

the blade supports are disposed on the blade so as to be on the rearthereof when the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facingdisposition;

the respective blade supports and blade hangers further including meansdefining respective aligned apertures; and

the securing means being inserted through the respective alignedapertures of the blade supports and blade hangers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the apertures of the blade hangers are circular and those of the bladesupports are vertically elongated.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the blade control means comprises a hydraulic cylinder secured to thesubstructure and an extensibleretractable show of the cylinder;

said shoe having surface means for engaging and supporting saidelevational control support.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

the retaining means is provided on the blade so as to be on the facethereof when the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facingdisposition; and

retaining means provided on the substructure, the retainer beingconnected between the retaining means on the blade and the retainingmeans on the substructure for retaining the blade in said horizontaldisposition thereof.

1. An attachment for the rear of the frame of a drilling truck forlevelling drilling chips, comprising: a substructure to be mounted onthe truck frame; a plurality of blade hangers fixedly attached to thesubstructure; vertically adjustable blade control means, to be mountedon the truck frame; a blade; a plurality of blade supports fixedlyattached to the blade; means securing the respective blade supports tothe respective blade hangers with provision for vertical movement of theblade with respect to the substructure and for pivotal movement of theblade between a vertical disposition in which the blade faces rearwardlyfor use and horizontal disposition for storage; a blade elevationcontrol support positioned to be engaged with the blade control meanswhen the blade is vertically disposed so that when the blade controlmeans is vertically adjusted when engaged with the blade elevationalcontrol support, the blade is correspondingly raised or lowered; a bladeretaining means secured on the blade; and a blade retainer connectablethe blade to retain the blade in the horizontal disposition thereof withrespect to the substructure.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: theblade supports are disposed on the blade so as to be on the rear thereofwhen the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facing disposition; therespective blade supports and blade hangers further including meansdefining respective aligned apertures; and the securing means beinginserted through the respective aligned apertures of the blade supportsand blade hangers.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the apertures ofthe blade hangers are circular and those of the blade supports arevertically elongated.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein: the bladecontrol means comprises a hydraulic cylinder secured to the substructureand an extensible-retractable shoe having surface means for engaging andsupporting said elevational control support.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1wherein: the retaining means is provided on the blade so as to be on theface thereof when the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facingdisposition, and retaining means provided on the substructure, theretainer being connected between the retaining means on the blade andthe retaining means on the substructure for retaining the blade in saidhorizontal disposition thereof.
 6. A drilling truck having an attachmenton the rear of the frame thereof for levelling drilling chips,comprising: a drilling truck having a frame; a substructure, mounted onthe truck frame; a plurality of blade hangers fixedly attached to thesubstructure; vertically adjustable blade control means, mounted on thetruck frame; a blade; a plurality of blade supports fixedly attached tothe blade; means securing the respective blade supports to therespective blade hangers with provision for vertical movement of theblade with respect to the substructure and for pivotal movement of theblade between a vertical disposition in which the blade faces rearwardlyfor use and horizontal disposition for storage; a blade elevationalcontrol support positioned to be engaged with the blade control meanswhen the blade is vertically disposed so that when the blade controlmeans is vertically adjusted when engaged with the blade elevationalcontrol support, the blade is correspondingly raised or lowered; a bladeretaining means secured on the blade; and a blade retainer connectablethe blade to retain the blade in the horizontal disposition thereof withrespect to the substructure.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein: theblade supports are disposed on the blade so as to be on the rear thereofwhen the blade is in said vertical, rearwardly facing disposition; therespective blade supports and blade hangers further including meansdefining respective aligned apertures; and the securing means beinginserted through the respective aligned apertures of the blade supportsand blade hangers.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 whereiN: the apertures ofthe blade hangers are circular and those of the blade supports arevertically elongated.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein: the bladecontrol means comprises a hydraulic cylinder secured to the substructureand an extensible-retractable show of the cylinder; said shoe havingsurface means for engaging and supporting said elevational controlsupport.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein: the retaining means isprovided on the blade so as to be on the face thereof when the blade isin said vertical, rearwardly facing disposition; and retaining meansprovided on the substructure, the retainer being connected between theretaining means on the blade and the retaining means on the substructurefor retaining the blade in said horizontal disposition thereof.